hungry

adjective

hun·​gry ˈhəŋ-grē 

hungrier; hungriest

1

a

: feeling an uneasy or painful sensation from lack of food : feeling hunger

b

: characterized by or characteristic of hunger or appetite

a wolf with hungry eyes

2

a

: eager, avid

hungry for affection

b

: strongly motivated (as by ambition)

hungry investors

a power-hungry politician

3

: not rich or fertile : barren

a hungry soil

hungrily

ˈhəŋ-grə-lē 

adverb

hungriness

ˈhəŋ-grē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of hungry

• starving
• starved

Examples of hungry in a Sentence

There are millions of hungry people throughout the world.

That girl is always hungry.

The prisoners' families were hungry for more information.

They were hungry to learn more.

Recent Examples on the Web

And a large part of that spending is going directly into RAM- and storage-hungry GPUs and data centers, in turn leading to the very component supply crunch that is forcing Meta to raise prices on Quest headsets. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2026

The roadside eatery held the promise of tacos, burritos or whatever else our hungry hiker appetites desired. —Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026

The hungry sharks surrounded Barley in the clips, leaping out of the water and quickly darting around his Sea-Doo. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026

Fast-food restaurants, however, are attempting to counter rising costs by upping the ante on value menus, meal deals, and other ways for hungry consumers to save money. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hungrig; akin to Old English hungor

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hungry

• go hungry

Kids Definition

hungry

adjective

hun·​gry ˈhəŋ-grē 

hungrier; hungriest

1

: feeling or showing hunger

2

: eager, avid

hungry for all the details

hungrily

-grə-lē 

adverb